


From All My Love (To This Universe and the Next)

by WeAreTheStuffofLegends



Series: Here's To Our Forever [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Explicit Sex, F/M, Ten/Rose - Freeform, The Runaway Bride AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-03
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-01-11 01:37:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1167059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeAreTheStuffofLegends/pseuds/WeAreTheStuffofLegends
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their 'I love you's had been said and tears had been shed. Now it's time for Rose and the Doctor to say their goodbyes and continue their life in the TARDIS. However, a certain bride drops in to turn their day upside down. [Retelling of the Runaway Bride] Ten/Rose</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> I swear this story is better than the summary. Although 95% of the fandom has written a season 3 rewrite with Rose...check mine out?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose and the Doctor say goodbye to Jackie Tyler and try to gain their bearings.

Their ‘I love you’s had been said and their tears had been shed, but the Doctor was determined not to let his precious girl not get her goodbye. Although he still couldn’t believe that Rose had sacrificed so much for him, he had finally exhausted all plausible reasons to stop him from revealing his true feelings. Honestly, it was too late; the Doctor was too far gone to even argue about the fact that his Rose was human and that he would have to watch her wither away. Oh, there was no question that he _wouldn’t_ love Rose as she got older, but the Gallifrey sized hole in his heart that she had unknowingly filled was soon to be ripped away like a plaster in a blink of an eye.

Rose was currently in her room as the Doctor furiously worked in finding a way that he could get the blonde girl to say her final words to her mother before the walls were permanently sealed. Although he knew that one of the main reasons he was working so hard on finding a crack in the universe was because of his love for Rose, he also knew that if he _did_ stop working, he would have time to think and be forced to relive the horrid memories of Canary Wharf, something he was extremely unwilling to do. Having to send Rose away and then having her come back only to almost lose her again all in the span of an hour had done terrible things to his hearts and brain.

A soft hum from the TARDIS gently jolted him from his thoughts, informing him that their precious human had fallen asleep. Satisfied that at least one of them was getting rest, the Doctor tirelessly continued his search for a dying sun or star- he wasn’t being particularly picky. Several hours had passed when the TARDIS thrummed in his mind and the lights in the console room flashed. There was only one thought that passed through his mind as this occurred: _Rose_. The Doctor wasted no time in rushing to the room right next to his and yanked the door open to find a flailing Rose, struggling against her covers with an agitated look on her face. The Doctor felt his hearts shatter as her mouth opened in a silent scream, her body getting tangled up in the covers.

“Rose? Rose!” the panicking time lord exclaimed, quickly pressing his hands on her temples and forging a quick connection. He didn’t intrude into any memories, just focused on sending calming waves to the clearly agitated woman below him. Rose’s nightmare gradually receded, allowing the Doctor to gather her up in his arms and gently rocking her back and forth slowly. The Doctor looked down just in time to see Rose’s eyelids flutter open. She seemed to gauge her surroundings for a quick moment before looking up at him with the most pain-filled vulnerable eyes. The Doctor didn’t even notice himself murmuring phrases that alternated between English and Gallifreyan, the melodic nature of the language calming Rose even further.

“Doctor?” Rose murmured quietly. The Doctor refused to relinquish his grasp on her but leaned down, chastely pressed his lips on hers, then peppered tiny kisses on her face. Rose allowed herself to revel in this rare display of affection knowing that she probably wouldn’t have seen him until the ‘morning’ if it hadn’t been for her stupid nightmare.

“Do you want to talk about it?” the Doctor softly prodded but Rose shook her head. She knew she wasn’t the only one replaying the events from earlier and she didn’t want to add unnecessary burden. “Ok.” he smiled softly, knowing that he shouldn’t press when, when the roles were switched, he always refused to talk about his nightmares as well. “I’m glad you’re safe. I...I almost lost you.” The Doctor suddenly piped up, surprising both of them. It seemed that those words had finally done it and the floodgate of emotions opened up for both of them. The adrenaline seemed to have worn off and the possibility that they could have lost each other today truly took both of their breaths away. Although Rose was actually shedding tears, the Doctor seemed to look away, but not before Rose caught his glassy brown eyes and his abnormally heaving chest.

“I love you Doctor. I’m glad I managed to stay in this universe to tell you,” Rose shivered as the ‘what if’ scenarios once again played in her mind. A memory of her nightmare, one of falling into the void and ending up in another universe. The Doctor’s eyes softened though his grip on Rose tightened. “Doctor I’m scared of falling back asleep.” Rose whispered.

“Would you like me to block the nightmare and give you a dreamless sleep?” the Doctor asked, knowing how Rose felt about people meddling in her mind. Rose nodded briefly knowing she wouldn’t be able to sleep any other way and gazed at her Doctor who was so clearly looking at her with all the love in the universe. Rose snuggled under the covers and allowed the Doctor to press his fingers to her temple and block the nightmare. He pressed a kiss to her forehead as she fell asleep, then got up to continue his crusade.

 

 oOoOoOo

Rose was greeted in the console room with a cry of triumph. “Ha! Rose, I did it! I found it!” the Doctor pranced around the TARDIS, pressing buttons and levers, making him a sight to see. Rose walked to the console now extremely confused.

“Found what?” she questioned. The Doctor’s brown eyes twinkled happily, his eyes crinkling as well.

“I found a way to talk to your mother. Albeit it’s only for a couple of minutes and albeit you won’t be able to touch each other or else the universes will collapse and all of our hard work will be ruined, well, I say _hard work_ but I really mean sheer dumb luck-”

The Doctor was cut off by Rose’s squealing and hug as she literally jumped into his arms and pressed a kiss into his neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she sighed happily, voice muffled by his neck. A soft smile graced his face.

“Anything for you Rose Tyler. Anything for you.”

 

oOoOoOo

Jackie Tyler had always believed that her daughter could achieve the impossible. Even though three years ago she would have slapped the silly out of someone if they had told her that she would grow to love a time travelling alien that had kidnapped her daughter, she truly had grown to think of the time lord as a son, and certainly a worthy man for her Rose. So, when she heard Rose’s voice in her head during the night in her dreams, she had convinced Pete and Mickey to pack their bags and head to bloody Norway of all places, onto a beach. There- Jackie Tyler could have sworn her heart stopped- stood a transparent Rose Tyler and the Doctor. With a cry, Jackie bounded towards the two figures and stopped short of them.

“Rose!” Jackie cried, tears welling up in her eyes. Rose seemed equally as affected and even the Doctor couldn’t seem to escape the waterworks as his eyes seemed suspiciously glassy. “Oh, darlin’, where are you?”

“I’m on the TARDIS mum, right where I’ve always wanted to be,” Rose smiled weakly, flashing a smile at her Doctor. A smile that Jackie didn’t miss. The Doctor looked at Rose first, then Jackie. “There's one tiny little gap in the Universe left, just about to close, and it takes a lot of power to send this projection. I'm in orbit around a super nova. I'm burning up a sun just so Rose can say goodbye.”

“And how come you look like a ghost?” The Doctor muttered ‘hold on’ and with a whiz of his sonic screwdriver, he made them solid again.

“Can I-?” Jackie began but the Doctor cut her off.

“No touch, we’re both still images...I’m sorry...”

“Why can’t you come through properly? I want to touch my baby girl one last time!” Jackie wailed, tears streaming down her face.

“Oh mum, I wish we could but the whole thing would fracture and two universes would collapse,” Rose tried to explain but Jackie snorted.

“So?” Rose smiled at her mother as did the Doctor.

“Where did we end up?”

“Bloody Norway of all places! You couldn’t have sent us to a warmer place!” Jackie growled, informing them of the name that sounded so much like the word ‘Dalek’ that Rose had to ask her mother to repeat it. “It roughly translates to Bad Wolf Bay.” Rose and the Doctor looked at each other with sad smiles. “Oh darlin’ how much longer ‘ave we got?”

“We got two minutes Jackie.”

“Oh, I can’t think of what to say!”

“How’s Pete’s world mum? Those two plums treating you alright?” Rose asked, stepping as humanly close to her mother as she could, referring to her best friend and her pseudo father.

“Oh Rose, there’s gonna be four of now!” Jackie sniffled and held her hand to her stomach, Rose’s expression heartbroken and joyful at the same time.

“Congrats mum,” Rose said softly, trying not to think of all the missed opportunities she would never have with her little sibling. Jackie’s smile trembled, though she held strong.

“Your father and Mickey have taken to working at Torchwood. They finally found their callings. You’d ‘ave been so proud of ‘em Rose,” Jackie blubbered and Rose choked out a sob.

“You be sure to tell baby Tyler all about me mum. Tell him or her how much I loved them, and you guys, and the Doctor. Tell them about the sacrifice I made and how much it was worth it. You’re officially dead on this planet mum, but I’ll make sure all of your memories live on.”

“Will I ever see you again?” Jackie asked, a little seed of hope growing, and even though she knew it was going to be physically impossible, it still hurt to hear Rose say no and how much she loved her. “Oi you git, you better take care of my baby girl!” Jackie raged then softened. “Be sure you give her a lifetime of happiness, no excuses or I’ll slap you into another regeneration!” The Doctor nodded and informed them they had about ten seconds left.

“I love you...” Rose’s voice faded. Jackie collapsed on the beach, Pete and Mickey rushing to help her. Little did she know that Rose too had collapsed in the TARDIS console room, sobs wracking her body, as the Doctor held her close and vowed to never let her go. He was going to prove that her sacrifice was worth it. Suddenly, there was a sound and the Doctor looked up to see a ginger haired woman dressed in white. “What?”

“Oh!”

“What?”

“Who are you?” the red haired woman shrieked, looking at the TARDIS with fear.

“But...” the Doctor stuttered as Rose sniffled and looked up. 

“Where am I, eh?”

“What?” It seemed that this was the only word the Doctor seemed capable of saying. 

“What the hell is this place?” the redhead demanded, stamping her foot. 

“What?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbc in The Runaway Bride Part 1


	2. The Runaway Bride Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose and the Doctor attempt to figure out why a mysterious bride has appeared on the TARDIS and try to help her get back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Making something that has been done so much, original, is harder than it looks. Anyway, give it a bit, and then we'll turn on a side road off of canon and then slowly make our way back.

The ginger haired woman looked around wildly, demanding to know her whereabouts. Rose, still emotionally drained and partially sobbing, could only look at her Doctor in confusion. “What the hell is this place?” the redhead trilled in a shrill voice. The Doctor winced. 

“What? You can’t do that! I wasn’t- we’re in flight. That is....that is physically _impossible_. How did...” 

“Tell me where I am. I demand you tell me right now, where am I?” she shouted. 

“Inside the TARDIS,” the Doctor replied with a puzzled expression on his face. The redhead sniffed. 

“The what?” Rose’s tears had dried up by now and she stood up. 

“The TARDIS,” Rose told the red haired woman softly, trying for the more compassionate approach. 

“The what?” the redhead repeated her question dubiously. 

“The TARDIS!” the Doctor screamed, making it obvious that he had clearly run out of patience. The unexpected passenger snorted. 

“The _what_?” she screeched, clearly out of patience herself. Before the Doctor could say anything rude, Rose cut in. 

“It’s called the TARDIS, that’s her name.” The Time Lord sent an affectionate smile at his human companion, clearly pleased that she had defended his dear ship. 

“That’s not even a proper word, you’re just saying things,” the woman spoke, clearly not amused with the situation and walking around the control room. The Doctor just seemed to ignore her, instead focusing on a different subject. 

“How did you get in here?” he asked. Rose nudged him, imploring him with a look to understand that the poor girl had no idea what in the world was going on. The red haired woman growled. 

“Well obviously you kidnapped me. Who sent you to do this? Was this Nerys? Oh I knew I could smell Nerys all over this!” she narrowed her eyes at the two confused TARDIS inhabitants. 

“Who the hell is Nerys?” the Doctor asked, his eyebrows wrinkling adorably, looking to his blonde companion as if she was supposed to know this ‘Nerys’ person. Rose shrugged in response as the ginger haired woman crossed her arms and huffed, clearly looking irritated. 

“Well obviously your best friend!” the redhead retorted. The Doctor just looked confused. 

“But wait, why are you dressed like that?” Rose gave the oblivious Time Lord a look of exasperation and adoration. The unexpected passenger however, just looked furious. 

“I’m going ten-pin bowling. Why do you think I’m dressed liked this dumbo? I was halfway up the aisle! I've been waiting all my life for this. I was just seconds away, and then you, I don't know, you drugged me or something!” During her tirade, Rose had to keep her laughter in as the Doctor had a look of complete distress, reminiscent of the times her mother had yelled at her first Doctor. A pang of pain thrummed through her body and Rose tried to reign in the sense of sadness that threatened to overwhelm her. If the Doctor had noticed any of her emotional turmoil, he didn’t say anything. 

“I haven’t done anything!” he protested. The mysterious lady scoffed. 

“I'm having the police on you! Me and my husband, as soon as he is my husband, we're going to sue the living backside off you!” she screamed, running towards the TARDIS doors. The Doctor and Rose looked at each other in horror. 

“No wait!” Rose exclaimed as the Doctor yelled “Now wait a minute. Wait, don’t!” It was too late, however, as the woman in the wedding gown had yanked the door open and with a scream held herself back as she was faced with the vast unknown of space and nebula. The Doctor stepped forward as he began to explain. “You’re in space...outer space. This is my ship. She’s called the TARDIS.” 

“How am I breathing?” the almost-bride asked shakily, looking around the vast trans dimensional space. The Doctor held his hands up in a placating way, stepping towards the fuming bride once more. 

“The TARDIS is protecting us.” he replied quietly. 

“Who are you two?” she asked, gesturing to the uncharacteristically quiet blonde and the Doctor. 

“I’m the Doctor and this is my Rose,” the Doctor replied, inwardly grinning as Rose perked up at how he introduced her. “You?” 

“Donna.” Donna replied. Rose tilted her head and smiled as a way of greeting. 

“Human?” the Doctor asked and Rose hissed ‘Doctor!’ admonishingly. Donna perked a brow. 

“Yea. Is that an option?” the redhead asked dubiously. Rose rolled her eyes when the Doctor continued talking. He obviously didn’t realize how terrified the woman was and how distraught she must have been to have her special day interrupted. 

“Well, it is for me, but not for her,” the Doctor replied, jamming his thumb in the blonde’s direction. Rose gave a little wave. 

“You’re an alien.” Donna stated, clearly skeptical. The Doctor nodded. “It’s freezing with the doors open.” 

The Doctor closed the doors and bounded over to the console in his usual energetic way. “I don’t understand, and I understand anything! There is no way a human can lock onto the TARDIS! It’s physically impossible!” Rose gave him a tongue-touched smile. 

“You always did like the impossible,” she winked and the Doctor gave her an affectionate smile. 

“Cheeky.” Running over to Donna, he began to scan her with his sonic screwdriver. “Impossible. Some sort of subatomic connection? Something in the temporal field? Maybe something pulling you into alignment with the Chronon shell. Maybe something macro mining your DNA within the interior matrix. Maybe a genetic-” 

Donna slapping him cut him off. Rose winced as the Doctor rubbed his cheek and glared at her. Seeing the hurt expression on his face, Rose glared at Donna, her hackles rising. “What was that for?” the Doctor asked, still boring daggers into Donna. The redhead rolled her eyes. She walked over to one of the railings and picked up one of Rose’s blouses she had left on the TARDIS railings. 

“Just take me home you bloody Martian! And how many girls have you kidnapped?” Donna snapped then turned to Rose. “Did he kidnap you too?” Rose shook her head, smiling up at the Doctor. 

“Nope, I’m here one hundred percent willingly.” The Doctor smiled at his companion and then turned to Donna, his smile fading. 

“Right, fine! We don’t want you here anywhere? Where to?” 

“St. Mary’s Church, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, _THE SOLAR SYSTEM_!” The Doctor stared at Donna for a few seconds then snatched the blouse out of her hands. Rose watched with apparent amusement as he threw the shirt into one of the doorways and then stomped over to the console. 

“Right, Chiswick it is then!” 

oOoOoOo 

The TARDIS landed and Donna rushed out, eager to get back to her wedding. She seethed as she realized that the Doctor had landed in the wrong place. Stomping back to the Doctor, she yelled in his face, “I said St. Mary’s Church! What kind of Martian are you? Where’s this?” 

“Doctor? Doctor, is something wrong with the TARDIS?” Rose asked, stepping outside. The Doctor whipped around and legged it back to his time ship, concern etched in his face. Rose was stroking one of the coral struts, murmuring something to the ship. 

“Something’s wrong with her. It’s like she’s...recalibrating! Like she’s digesting. What’s wrong, old girl? What have you eaten? Donna? Now I really need you to think, could something have caused this?” 

Donna didn’t respond as she was too busy walking around the TARDIS, her expression awed. Rose looked at this with some amusement and fascination, knowing this was the Doctor’s favorite part of traveling with people and now she could see why that was. The Doctor however, was too worried about his precious time ship and continued talking, not even realizing that Donna wasn’t paying attention. 

“Anything you might've done? Any sort of alien contacts? I can't let you go wandering off, what if you're dangerous? I mean, have you, have you seen lights in the sky, or did you touch something like something, something different, something strange? Or something made out of a, box of metal or... Who are you getting married to? Are you sure he's human? He's not a bit overweight with a zip around his forehead, is he? Donna!” The Doctor was rambling as Donna walked away, unable to even cope with the Time Lord technology. 

“Donna, come back!” Rose yelled, running after the bride. 

“Leave me alone, I just want to get married!” Donna yelled behind her as she walked away. The Doctor ran, attempting to catch up to her. 

“Donna, please come back to the TARDIS! It’s dangerous out there!” The Doctor exclaimed causing Donna to scoff. 

“No way, that box is too weird.” 

“It’s bigger on the outside, that’s all!” Rose exclaimed then stopped for a moment to think about the sheer ridiculousness of that statement. Had she been spending so much time with the Doctor that she no longer found things like his weird? 

“Oh, that’s all? _THAT’S ALL?_ Ten past three, I’m gonna miss it!” Donna screeched, causing Rose to flinch. The haunting words from her mum replayed in her head. 

_“You'll keep on changing. And in forty years time, fifty, there'll be this woman, this strange woman, walking through the marketplace on some planet a billion miles from Earth. But she's not Rose Tyler. Not anymore. She's not even human.”_

“But can’t you just call them? Tell them where you are?” The Doctor asked, not noticing Rose’s subtle gestures to shut it. Donna turned to the Doctor, her eyes fiery and a scowl present on her face. 

“And how am I supposed to do that?” The Doctor looked adorably oblivious and Rose couldn’t decide if she wanted to smack him or snog him. 

“I don’t know... Don’t you have a mobile or something?” The Doctor asked and this time Rose smacked his arm, ignoring the whine that came out of his mouth. Donna ignored Rose and growled at the Doctor. 

“I'm in my wedding dress. It doesn't have pockets. Who has pockets? Have you ever seen a bride with pockets? When I went to my fitting at Chez Alison, the one thing I forgot to say is ‘give me pockets’!” Donna had progressively gotten closer and closer and the Doctor started getting farther and farther away. 

“This man you’re marrying... What’s his name again?” 

“Lance!” 

“Oh, good luck Lance.” 

“ _OI_! No stupid Martian’s going to stop me from getting married! To hell with ya!” Donna exclaimed, running away. 

“Donna!” Rose called but it was no use. Rose sighed and looked at the Doctor, an exasperated look on her face. “Now look what you’ve done Doctor!” The Doctor, for his part, pouted and looked like a chastised five year old child. 

“But...I’m...I’m not... I’m not... I’m not from Mars,” the Time Lord pouted and Rose just sighed in defeat. She grabbed his face and kissed him square on the lips. 

“For goodness sake Doctor, you’re lucky I love you,” Rose rolled her eyes and chased after the disappearing Donna. The Doctor just stood on the sidewalk, paralyzed. 

oOoOoOo 

The Doctor and Rose finally found Donna on a street corner attempting to hail down a taxi. However, each time she attempted to hail down a taxi with its lights on, it just drove right past her. “Why’s his light on?” 

After several failed attempts, the Doctor and Rose decided to take matters into their own hands and go to the cash machine to get money for a cab while Donna made a clearly anxious call to her mother using Rose’s mobile. The Doctor was clearly glad to be away from the rude ginger woman so, naturally, he didn’t pay attention when Donna got into a cab. Next thing the two time travelling companions knew, they were racing to the TARDIS to save Donna from the pilot fish. Rose had rolled her eyes and thrown up her hands when the Doctor told her what had happened. 

“Oh of course this happens again, because really, when can we ever have a normal Christmas?” the blonde snorted. Grinning adorably at her, the Doctor instructed her to man the console as they flew over traffic in attempts of saving Donna. Rose looked up when she heard a giant commotion. 

“Donna, please, you’ve got to jump!” the Doctor was insisting, holding his hands out for the ginger woman to clearly jump into. 

“I’m not jumpin’ onto a motorway!” Donna yelled, her native Chiswick accent dripping into her exclamation. 

“Whatever that thing is, it needs you.” the Doctor argued. “And whatever it needs you for, it's not good! Now, come on!” 

“I’m in my wedding dress!” Donna weakly attempted to argue. She could see into the inside of the TARDIS where Rose was running around the console, attempting to get it lower onto the ground. 

“And you look lovely. Now come on!” the Doctor growled, ready to tear his hair out in frustration. Donna looked to Rose. 

“Donna, _please_ listen to him. He’s saved my life and this entire planet more times than I could ever count, and if there was anyone you had to trust, it would be him. Now, for the love of all that is holy, just _jump_!” Rose exclaimed. With a shriek, Donna took a leap of faith, quite literally, and jumped out of the cab window and into the arms of the Doctor. Rose could only sigh in relief as she heard the two of them fall to the ground and the TARDIS doors close. 

oOoOoOo 

“You know, for a ship, the TARDIS doesn’t do much flying,” the Time Lord commented as the three passengers came out coughing and sputtering. Rose rolled her eyes and went to sit next to Donna and the Doctor followed her lead and sat on the other side of the bride. 

“Did we miss it?” Rose asked, watching the despondent bride wrap the Doctor’s coat closer to her body and look over from the top of the building. After all the adrenaline from the chase had worn off, she was feeling depressed all over again. She could clearly spot the Powell Estates from here and the fact that she had to go and empty out the flat was not very appealing. 

“Yeah...” Donna sighed disappointedly. 

“Well, you can always move it to another date,” the Doctor shrugged, giving her a small smile. Donna attempted to return it but failed. 

“Of course we can,” she swallowed thickly, reigning in the tears. 

“At least you’ve got the honeymoon,” Rose grinned, nudging the bride’s shoulder but got nothing in response. 

“S’just a holiday now,” Donna replied. The Doctor bit his lip, clearly unsure of what to say in fear of angering the quick-tempered redhead. 

“I’m sorry,” was all he said, looking out and instantly finding the estate where his lovely Rose had grown up in. He felt an overwhelming sadness in his heart that he didn’t expect. Donna shrugged and once again sighed morosely. 

“It’s not your fault,” she shrugged and the Doctor grinned, nudging her shoulder. 

“Well that’s a change!” he responded with a smile though it faded slightly when Donna responded with a wish that she had a time machine, to which Rose had awkwardly tried to explain why that wouldn’t work. “Oh, and before I forget, you better put this on,” the Doctor added, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a ring. If possible, Donna’s face drooped even lower. 

“Doctor!” Rose reached behind Donna and smacked his arm angrily. The Time Lord winced in response when he saw what he was holding. Donna looked close to tears. 

“Oh, do you have to rub it in?” she wailed. The Doctor grimaced and took Donna’s hand. 

“These creatures can trace you but this ring, a bio-damper, will hid your bio signatures. With this ring, I thee bio-damp,” he grinned cheekily. Donna rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. 

“For better or for worse. Now come on, those robot Santas. What are they for?” The Doctor shrugged and looked at Rose, for he too was confused about their reappearance. 

“Ah your basic robo-scavanger. They’re actually just trying to blend in. Rose and I met them last Christmas,” he replied, grinning at the memory of his first adventure with the beautiful blonde only a few feet away from him. Donna just looked confused. 

“Why, what happened last Christmas?” she asked. Rose and the Doctor looked bemused. 

“Great big spaceship hovering over London? You didn’t see it?” Rose incredulously asked. Donna shrugged and muttered something about a hangover. “Wow, you must have had a great Christmas.” 

“The real question,” the Doctor butt in, “is what do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you? And how did you get into the TARDIS? What job do you have?” the Doctor rapidly fired the questions. 

“I’m a secretary,” Donna replied. The Doctor hummed to himself. 

“It’s weird,” the Doctor muttered as he scanned her with the sonic screwdriver. “I mean, you’re not special, you're not powerful, you're not connected, you're not clever, you're not important...” he trailed off. Rose screamed “ _DOCTOR_!” and the manic Time Lord stopped in his tracks to look at Donna’s enraged face. “Erm...” 

Donna took a deep breath holding the bridge of her nose. 

“Hey, blondie, do you ever just want to punch his face? Stop bleepin’ me!” she asked, clearly holding her flaming temper in. Rose sighed. 

“Sorry Donna, that’s my Doctor, rude and not ginger,” Rose explained as the Doctor sputtered indignantly. Donna looked at the pair strangely and shook her head. 

“Anyway, I work in HC Clements. It’s where I met Lance,” the ginger haired woman recalled dreamily. “I was temping. I mean, it was all a bit posh really. I'd spent the last two years at a double-glazing firm. Well, I thought I'm never going to fit in here. And then he made me a coffee. I mean, that just doesn't happen. Nobody gets the secretaries a coffee. And Lance, he was head of HR! He didn’t need to bother about me. But he was nice and funny. And it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty too. So that's how it started, me and him. One cup of coffee. That was it.” Rose and the Doctor looked at each other. Rose could already see the gears turning in the Doctor’s head as he processed his information. 

“And exactly how long ago was this?” the Doctor skeptically asked. Donna sighed dreamily once more. 

“Six months ago.” 

“Bit quick to get married, don’t you think?” Rose asked, staring at the redhead curiously. Donna answered in her smitten voice, 

“Well he insisted. And he nagged me, and nagged me, and he wore me down. Finally, I just decided to give in.” The Doctor looked at Rose incredulously behind Donna’s back. Something wasn’t right about this story... 

“So what does HC Clements do?” the Doctor asked, leading the conversation away from Donna’s betrothed. 

“Oh, security systems. You know, entry codes, ID cards, that sort of thing. If you ask me, it's a posh name for locksmiths.” 

“Keys, huh?” the Doctor murmured, trailing off as he became lost in thought. Rose leaned over to him. 

“You have an idea of what’s going on, don’t you?” Rose whispered, giving him a tongue-touched grin. The Doctor returned it with his own bright grin. Donna heard the whispering behind her back but decided to ignore it. _I’m just a temp from Chiswick, nothing important about me. All I want to do is get back to the reception and find my Lance again._

“Anyway, enough of my CV. C’mon, it’s time to face the consequences. Oh, this is going to be shaming. You can do the explaining, you two.” At Rose’s widened eyes, Donna snorted. “You’re just as deep into this as Martian boy over here is. Don’t think you’re off the hook.” The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the sassy bride. 

“Yea, not from Mars,” he attempted to explain but Donna ignored him, wrapped up in her world. 

“Oh, I had this great, big reception planned. Everyone’s going to be heartbroken.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbc in The Runaway Bride Part 2


	3. The Runaway Bride Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lateness everyone. I'll try to have the chapter out by Saturday, but no promises.
> 
> Also, sorry for the limited Rose speaking parts in this story arc. I promise that her role will become significantly larger soon.

The trio entered the hall filled with loud music and dancing people. If the Doctor had been alone, he wouldn’t have been inclined to care so much, but the fact that he was with Rose and the fact that her eyes were currently shining with compassion plus a fire that could burn a thousand cities, made him sympathize for the redheaded bride standing indignantly beside the two of them. Rose snorted as Donna moved forward, the shock written all over her face at the sight of her ‘heartbroken’ family. 

“You had the reception without me?” Donna asked. A dark skinned man looked up from dancing, shocked to see his fiancé standing in front of him. 

“Donna, what happened to you?” he asked, but the Doctor noted that he didn’t even rush forward to check her for any sort of injuries, like he would have if it had been him and Rose in this position. Donna refused to listen to him. 

“You had the reception _without me_?” Donna asked again, her voice getting shriller. The Doctor stepped forward, Rose in tow. 

“Hello, I’m the Doctor, and this is Rose.” Donna turned to the time travelling duo, shock and fury written all over her face. 

“They had the reception without me,” Donna laughed incredulously, as if she still couldn’t believe that this was happening. 

“Yes, I gathered,” the Doctor replied, wincing when Rose gave him _the look_. Donna glared at him, and then a third voice spoke up. 

“Well, it was all paid for. Why not?” Donna looked madder than she had when she had first exited the TARDIS. 

“Yes, thank you Nerys,” Donna snapped, glaring at the nuisance that was dancing with her husband to be. 

“Well, what were we supposed to do? I got your silly little message in the end. I'm on Earth? Very funny; what the hell happened? How did you do it? I mean, what's the trick, because I'd love to know,” an older blonde woman spoke up, coming forward. Then a dark skinned man came forward and Rose watched as Donna looked at the people around her and spontaneously burst into tears. The Doctor and Rose watched in amazement as all the guests rushed forward to comfort the bride. Laughing to herself, Rose watched the redhead of many talents cause the guests to beckon to her every whim and when they weren’t looking, Donna turned around to wink at them. 

“I gotta figure out how she does that,” Rose muttered, mostly to herself. The Doctor shook his head, looking at his precious pink and yellow human, and leaning down to kiss her forehead. 

“No need, you’re a master at getting me to do whatever you want. However, no time for that, we have to figure out what HC Clements is exactly.” The manic Time Lord suddenly jumped and held his hand out expectantly. Rose rolled her eyes and pulled out her mobile phone to hand to him. “Remind me to give you an upgrade next time we get the chance,” he murmured as he quickly searched up HC Clements. His face darkened almost immediately. 

“What, what is it?” Rose asked, standing up on her toes to get a better look at the words on the screen. “Doctor, what’s wrong?” He lowered the phone a bit so she could get a closer look. 

“HC Clements owned by the lovely sole proprietor, Torchwood.” The time travelling duo shuddered simultaneously at the name of their worst enemies and the memories that immediately haunted them with the mere mention of the name. The jazzy beat of the song caught Rose’s attention. 

“Oh Doctor, can’t we pretend it’s a normal situation just for once and enjoy a little bit of the reception?” Rose asked, batting her eyelashes very carefully. The Doctor heaved a sigh, adamant on focusing on the mission. 

“Rose, as much as I’d love to, I don’t think that’s a very- oh, come now Rose, don’t do that,” the Doctor pleaded as Rose fluttered her eyelashes once more and laid her head on his shoulder, smiling enticingly at him. A little part of her tongue poked out as she smiled and the Doctor was hooked. “Oh, alright, I suppose one dance wouldn’t hurt.” 

_I have wandered, I have rambled, I have crossed this crowded sphere. And I've seen_

The Doctor led Rose to the dance floor whilst also watching Donna and Lance dance together as well. He was glad she at least got to enjoy what little part of her wedding that she could. However, an incessant tugging at his hand shifted his attention to the gorgeous blonde pink and yellow human in front of him, the girl who defied all odds and decided to remain with him. He took her into his arms and began to dance to the beat of the song, twirling her around and dipping her. 

_Oh, my girl, my girl, my precious girl, what is this man to do. So reel me in, my precious girl. Come on, take me home. Cos my body's tired of traveling and my heart don't wish to roam_

Rose looked up at the Doctor after she came up from a particularly low dip. A frown formed on her lips as she noticed the dark and pensive look on the Doctor’s face. “Doctor, what’s wrong? And don’t tell me you’re alright, I can see that you’re definitely _not_ alright. So whatever’s bothering you, tell me.” 

“I keep thinking what would have happened if you had fallen into the void or if you were trapped in that parallel world like your mother is now. Would I have had to burn up a sun to say goodbye to you? Would I have met Donna when I had just finished saying the last words I would be able to say to you?” The Doctor felt a lump in his throat as he mulled over the possibilities. Rose swallowed thickly, wrapping her arms around his neck and slowing down so they were just swaying to the music. 

“Doctor, you could spend all of eternity thinking of the what-ifs and the could-have-been, or you could spend all of eternity in the here and the now, with me. We’re all we’ve got Doctor, and nothing’s going to change that. The past is the past and those timelines are history. You’re stuck with me now Time Lord, so you better just get used to it,” Rose smiled gently, nuzzling her nose into the crook of his neck. She felt the vibrations of the noise he made in his throat. 

“Well, lucky for me Rose Tyler, being stuck with you isn’t so bad.” Rose smiled as she recalled the last time she had said that sentence to him and the raw feeling that had enveloped both of them. Rose giggled softly. 

“Yea?” she asked, a bit of vulnerability seeping into her voice and the Doctor hated himself for it. He vowed to make sure this girl knew she was loved from the bottom of both of his hearts. 

“Yea...oh!” he exclaimed as something caught his eye. 

_Well, you took me in, you stole my heart, I cannot roam no more. Cos love it stays within you, it doesn't wash up on a shore. Then a fighting man forgets each cut, each knock, each bruise, each fall. But a fighting man cannot forget_

Rose looked up, slightly disappointed that their moment had been cut short but knew that they had a mission to focus on. She let go of the Doctor and gave him smile, giving him permission to go and see what caught his eye. However, the Doctor seemed adamant about keeping some semblance of contact between them and grabbed Rose’s hand, towing her along. 

They walked over to the videographer who was standing by his camera looking fairly bored. Rose gave the man a sweet smile and asked if they could take a look and see what he had taped of the wedding. Rose and the Doctor watched as Donna walked up the aisle and then suddenly became engulfed in a golden light and then just disappeared. The Doctor’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the screen. 

“Can’t be, play it again?” he asked, leaning forward to get a better look at the bride. The cameraman rewound the tape. 

“Clever mind; good trick though, it had me clapping,” he laughed as he pressed play again. The Doctor frowned. 

“But... That looks like Huon Particles!” The Doctor exclaimed, whipping out his brainy specs and putting them on for further examination. Rose peered over his shoulder. 

“What’s that then?” she asked, lightly touching his shoulder and grounding him back to reality. If there was one thing that Rose Tyler was good at, it was bringing him back down to Earth. 

“It’s impossible...it’s ancient! Huon energy doesn’t exist anymore, hasn’t for billions of years. It’s so old...” the Doctor gasped, a horror-filled expression blossoming on his face. “Rose, the bio-damper can’t hide it!” A quick glance at the window confirmed his theory as he watched the robot Santas start to approach the venue. “Donna! Donna, they’ve found you!” he cried, running up to the bride who was dancing with her groom. 

“But you said I was safe,” Donna fretted looking around the room at her friends and family who were blissfully unaware of the imminent danger. 

“The bio-damper can’t hide you. We’ve got to get everyone out of here!” Rose gasped as she made her way to the Doctor once more. Donna gasped. 

“My god, it’s my entire family!” Donna cried. Rose willed herself the calm down- being panicked wouldn’t help anyone, especially Donna. 

“Quick, let’s try the back door!” Rose suggested. The three of them sprinted to the back door only to find that the scavenger robots surrounded them. “Maybe not,” Rose amended her statement. Donna looked out the window. 

“We’re trapped!” she screamed. One of the robots held up a remote control. Rose gasped, tugging on the Doctor’s sleeve. 

“Doctor, the Christmas trees!” she frantically muttered, his expression darkening as the implication of their danger dawned on him. Donna raised her brow. 

“What about the Christmas trees?” she asked, looking at the human and Time Lord as if they had both grown two heads each. 

“They kill! Everyone get away from the trees!” Rose exclaimed, urging Donna’s family to move away. People laughed and scoffed as Donna’s mother made a snide comment about the Doctor’s ridiculousness. The Doctor, Rose, and Donna watched in horror as the decorations floated in the air. At first, everyone marveled over the sight of them but then began to scream as they shot to the ground and exploded on impact. The Doctor grabbed Rose’s hand and dragged her over to the DJ table while Donna and Lance went and hid somewhere else. Finally, the Doctor seemed to be at the end of his patience. Standing up, he held his sonic screwdriver up. 

“Oi, Santa! Word of advice; next time you attack a man with a sonic screwdriver, don’t let him near the sound system!” Turning towards Rose, the Doctor muttered “cover your ears” as he jammed the screwdriver into the deck and proceeded to amplify the noise which reverberated and shook the robots into pieces. As the people stood up in relief, the Doctor rushed over to Donna who was fretting over her family. “Look at that; remote control for the decorations, but there’s a second remote control for the robots.” 

“So...someone’s taken possession and is controlling the robots?” Rose asked, inwardly grinning at the proud smile the doctor was wearing. 

“Never mind that, you’re a doctor and people have been hurt!” Donna snapped as she gave a preliminary glance at a relative. 

“Nah, they wanted you alive, look,” the Doctor replied, tossing a bauble up and down. “They’re not active now.” 

“All I’m saying is that you can help,” Donna replied with a scoff. 

“Got to look at the bigger picture, Donna! There’s still a signal!” the Doctor replied, either not hearing or purposefully ignoring the ginger haired woman. Donna then looked at Rose who gave a helpless shrug. As much as she’d like to help Donna’s family, she and the Doctor had a mission to complete. And the faster they figured out who was controlling the robots and trying to get to Donna, the faster they could help the people. 

oOoOoOo 

“There’s someone behind this, directing the robo-forms,” the Doctor muttered, looking around to see if he could spot anything. 

“But why me? What have I done?” Donna wailed, clearly looking overwhelmed. 

“If we find the controller, we can find out...oh! Look, it’s coming from up there, in the sky!” Suddenly the Doctor growled as he whacked the sonic screwdriver a couple of times on the palm of his hand as sirens wailed from down the street. “Argh! I’ve lost the signal, Donna. We’ve got to get to HC Clements, I think that’s where it all started.” He looked around and spotted someone. “Lance! Is it Lance? Lance, can you give us a lift?” the Time Lord asked, gesturing to the three of them. Lance could only nod as a bewildered expression appeared on his face, but the imploring look Donna gave him made him shut his mouth and just do what the crazy man said to do. 

oOoOoOo 

The trip in Lance’s car was beyond awkward although the Doctor didn’t mind the seating arrangements. With Donna up front, he and Rose were squished together, but not to the point of suffocation-he quite liked Rose practically sitting on his lap. Lance attempted to make idle chit chat but every time he asked the Doctor or Rose a personal question, Donna would snap at him and he would immediately stop talking. Exchanging a look, the Doctor and Rose spent the rest of the time observing Donna’s husband-to-be cater to his bride’s needs. 

The four finally arrived at the HC Clements office, running into the main lobby. “You see, to you lot they’re just locksmiths, but in actuality, HC Clements was brought up by Torchwood Institution twenty-three years ago,” the Doctor distractedly explained as he perused through the computer and its hard drive. Donna didn’t miss the subconscious shudders that coursed through the Doctor and Rose. 

“Torchwood, who are they?” Donna asked. Both time travelers stopped in their tracks and gave her a look that made her feel like the smallest and most pathetic person on Earth. 

“They were part of the Battle of Canary Wharf? Cyberman invasion, skies of London full of Daleks, ring any bells?” Rose asked, nudging the Doctor to continue his investigation. Donna still had a blank look on her face. 

“Oh, I was in Spain.” 

“They had them in Spain too,” Rose replied, raising a brow. 

“I was scuba diving,” was her trite reply. The Doctor banged on the computer and then looked up. 

“The big picture Donna, you keep on missing it. Torchwood may have been destroyed, but HC Clements stayed in business. I think someone else came in and took over the operation.” 

“But what do they want with me?” Donna asked once more. 

“Somehow, you’ve been dosed with Huon energy- and that’s a problem because Huon energy hasn’t been seen since, well, since the Dark Times, really. The only place you’d find a Huon particle is in the heart of a TARDIS.” Rose’s eyebrows rose until they were almost up to her hairline. The heart of a TARDIS? Didn’t- “See, that’s what happened. Say that this mug is the TARDIS, and this pencil is you. The particles inside you activated and the two sets of particles magnetized. Then whap!” The Doctor shook the pencil and mug and then dropped the pencil into the mug. “You were pulled inside the TARDIS.” Donna looked flabbergasted. 

“I-I’m a pencil inside a mug?” she mutedly asked. The Doctor obliviously grinned. 

“Yes, yes you are- 4H, sums you up. Lance? What were they working on? Anything top secret, special, don’t enter?” Lance glared at the manic grinning mad man and his companion. 

“I don’t know, I’m in charge of personnel, I wasn’t even a project manager! And why am I explaining myself to you? What the hell are we talking about?” the dark skinned man exclaimed, throwing his hands up. 

The Doctor had stopped paying attention to Lance and was paying more attention to the computer screen in front of him. He uttered a somewhat quiet exclamation of triumph when he got the computer screen to work and was able to pull up a plan of the entire building. “They make keys, that’s the point. Right now we’re on the third floor.” He led them all to the lift. “Then how come, when you look at the buttons on the lift, it says that there’s a lower basement?” Rose gasped. 

“A whole floor that doesn’t exist on the plans? That’s usually a sign of trouble, Doctor. And to think that we thought this Christmas would be normal,” Rose gave a short laugh. 

“That’s us, the stuff of legends,” the Doctor responded, nudging her shoulder and causing the blonde to smile. Lance broke the moment. 

“Are you telling me that there’s a secret floor?” he gaped. Rose had to stifle a giggle when the Doctor haughtily replied, 

“No, I’m _showing_ you that there’s a secret floor.” 

“But you need a key!” Donna reminded him. The Doctor flashed her a saucy grin. 

“I don’t,” he hummed his reply, pointing his sonic at the button that marked the lower basement. “Right then, thanks you two, but Rose and I can handle this one on our own. See you later,” he waved, grabbing Rose’s hand with his free one. Donna narrowed her eyes as she picked up her dress and marched straight into the lift. 

“No chance Martian. You two are keeping me alive and I’m not letting you out of my sight.” 

“Going down,” the Doctor grinned. Donna crossed her arms and tapped her foot expectantly as she called her fiancé’s name, finally getting him onto the lift after his horrid attempts on getting out of this. “To honor and obey?” the Doctor cheekily grinned as Rose nudged him with her hip and shot him a playful glare. Lance rolled his eyes. 

“Tell me about it, mate.” 

“OI” Donna snapped. 

oOoOoOo 

The Doctor, Rose, Donna, and Lance arrived in a dimly lit hallway that had a green hue to it. Donna looked around with trepidation. 

“Where are we? What goes on down here?” she asked. 

“Let’s find out,” the Doctor grinned, shooting an excited smile with his beloved Rose who had strangely been quiet the whole trip to HC Clements. He attempted to get her to explain what was wrong with his eyes but she had ignored him and he had decided to let her tell him in her own time. 

“Do you think Mister Clements knows about this place?” Donna asked. 

“The mysterious HC Clements? I think he’s part of it-oh look, transport!” the Doctor excitedly exclaimed, running towards the parked Segues. Lance looked at the Doctor as if he were the stupidest man on the planet at this moment. 

“You have _got_ to be kidding me.” 

_tbc_


End file.
